Cash bail set in Feb. 15 eluding

A Gardnerville man, who deputies say drove 100 mph down Highway 395 last week, will have a harder time raising bail after a judge ruled Friday that he had to come up with $10,000 cash.

Brandon Pete Brown, 33, appeared in East Fork Justice Court on Friday morning where Senior Judge Steve McMorris changed his bail from bondable.

According to documents filed in support of Brown’s arrest, he was spotted filling up his vehicle at a south Gardnerville gas station by a deputy who recognized him and knew he didn’t have a valid license.

The deputy followed the Chrysler sedan north to the parking lot of the Douglas County Community & Senior Center. The deputy attempted to pull Brown over and for a moment it looked like he would comply before he accelerated.

The parking lot was filled with vehicles at the time and Brown allegedly drove right at another patrol car as he tried to get out of the parking lot, according to the prosecutor.

Brown got out onto Waterloo by squeezing between the patrol vehicle and another and then turned south on Highway 395.

According to court documents, he accelerated to 85 mph in the 35 mph zone and then increased to 114 mph as he drove down the center of the highway.

After Brown turned onto Riverview, deputies terminated the pursuit rather than chase him at high speed through the Gardnerville Ranchos.

He wasn’t that difficult to locate. Brown’s girlfriend is in Douglas County custody and a check on the jail phone revealed a call from Brown in which he could be heard describing the incident and his plan to hide from deputies. Deputies found him where he said he was going to be, and he was arrested.

Brown denied charges of felony eluding, driving on a suspended license and possession of drug paraphernalia on Friday morning.

Attorney Matthew Ence argued for Brown’s release on reduced bail with a condition he does not drive.

McMorris said that if there had been a request to raise bail in the case, he would have agreed.

He set a Feb. 24 hearing in the case.